Building Community Networks Supporting Employment Sponsored by the Department of Veterans AffairsVet

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Building Community Networks Supporting
EmploymentSponsored by the Department of
Veterans Affairs/Veterans Employment and
Training Institute and Virginia Commonwealth
Institute HVRP National Technical Assistance
Center

• Gary Shaheen, MPA
• Syracuse University Burton Blatt Institute
• geshahee_at_syr.edu/ 315-443-9819/315-443-9725 FAX

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Topics for today

• Cooperation/Coordination/Collaboration-Essential
  Differences
• Primer on WIA and One Stops
• One Stops Work for All, or - Can homeless vets
  get there from here?
• Overview of key VA and DOL/Vets employment
  initiatives
• Examples and common themes for designing
  effective services
• Key steps in improving access to mainstream
  employment services in One Stops

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Understanding the DifferencesCooperation/Coordin
ation/CollaborationWiner and Ray 2000

• Cooperation Short-term, informal information
  exchange, each retains individual autonomy,
  authority
• Coordination Increasing risk, more formal
  relationship, focus long-term efforts around a
  specific goal, shared resources, rewards
• Collaboration Separate organizations as a new
  operating structure, comprehensive joint planning
  and shared risk

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Key Steps in Developing CollaborationsWiner and
Ray 2000

• Identify and Convene stakeholders (who else owns
  the problem?)
• Envision the final result (increase employment by
  50 in 2 years)
• Confirm roles/align resources (organize and
  formalize the effort)
• Manage the work (action plans, evaluation,
  growth)
• Sustain the effort (promote the results, change
  the system)

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Who Can Provide Employment Help to Vets who are
Transitioning from Homelessness?

• HVRPs
• VA Voc Rehab and Employment
• State Voc Rehab
• Community homeless housing providers
• Faith based groups
• Shelters
• SBA/SBDCs
• Stand Downs and Job Fairs
• Vets peer advocacy groups

• DOL/VETS REALifelines
• DOL One Stops Core, intensive, training
  services
• Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP)
• Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER)
• Disability Program Navigators (DPNs)
• National Disabled Veterans Business Center
• Others????

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One Stop Career Center Services

• Core services
• - Available to any job seeker
• - Self-service job search, resume development
• Use of One Stop facilities, job fairs, employer
  presentations, etc
• Referral to SBDC for self-employment
• Intensive services
• For those who need more assistance than just Core
  services
• Vocational counseling, remedial education and
  skills and support development, guided job
  search, enrollment into WIA funded training
  programs, etc
• Training services
• Enrollment in classes, specialized trades
  training, etc

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Highlights Who Does What?
USDOL
Legislative, regulatory framework for WIA
Governor
Appoint, convene SWIB, discretionary , priority
pops
5Yr plan, policies, LWIB jurisdictions,
responsible for state performance
State WIB
LOCAL WIBs
Local plans, priority pops, administer 1 Stops,
contracts for priority pops
Core, intensive, training services, house VR
services, DPNs,
ONE-STOPS/SATELLITES
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Benefits to links with One Stops

• Access to a wide range of employment and training
  resources.
• Extends services that you cannot provide, even
  beyond the term of your grant.
• It has a network of partners providing supportive
  services.
• It has strong linkages with business and industry
• It has access to assistive technology

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One-Stop Partners www.doleta.gov

• Title I of WIA (Adult, Youth, Dislocated Worker)
• Native American Programs
• Migrant/Seasonal Farm Worker
• Veterans Workforce Programs DVOPs/LVERs
• Employment Service
• Title V, Older Americans
• Unemployment Insurance
• Vocational Rehabilitation

• Welfare-To-Work
• HUD Employment Training
• Community Service Block Grant
• Adult Education and Literacy
• Post Secondary Vocational Education
• VETS Title 38
• NAFTA Adjustment Assistance

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Follow the -What is Available?

• Adult Employment and Training
• -through One Stops for Core, Intensive,
  Training-15 set-aside for special initiatives
• Dislocated Worker
• skills training for those laid off
• Wagner-Peyser
• labor exchange programs for employers/workers as
  part of One Stop. 10 set-aside can be for people
  with special needs
• Food Stamps Employment and Training (FSET)
• states can operate employment services for people
  receiving food stamps
• VR
• mandated One Stop partner serving people with
  disabilities
• State Supported Employment
• supplementary grants to VR for public/private
  collaborations
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
• HUD program decided locally that could include
  employment

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Accessing Mainstream Resources for Employment

• SSA (www.ssa.gov)
• Ticket to Work
• SSA Work Incentives
• Dept. of Agriculture (www.usda.gov)
• FSET
• RSA/VR (http//www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS)
• State VR Programs
• HHS (http//www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/dcdp/joli
  /welcome.htm)
• JOLI

• Medicaid (www.cms.hhs.gov)
• 1619(b)
• Buy-In
• Rehab Option
• HUD (www.hud.gov)
• Section 8
• CDBG
• ESG
• ROSS/Hope VI
• Tenant-Based Rental Assistance
• USDOL (www.dol.gov)
• WIA

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Challenges..

• Addressing WIA performance measures incl. entered
  employment rate, wage growth, job retention
• Leveraging resources for specialized training
• Collaborative leadership and vision
• Trust and access
• Paradigm paralysis (Vets who are homeless are
  not work-ready)

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Who in your community now prioritizes the
employment needs of Vets who are homeless ?

• Continuums of Care?
• Local and State DOL/WIA planners?
• Regional and State VR planners?
• 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Committee?
• Local Economic Development Planners?
• Wired and other DOL workforce strategies?
• United We Ride and other transportation
  initiatives?
• SSA Work Incentive Planning Assistants (WIPA?)
• Business Councils, Chambers of Commerce, Downtown
  Business Associations, Business Leadership
  Networks?
• Be at their table and help solve their problem!

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How well are Vets who are homeless served?

• Its not lack of available services but need to
  build awareness, increase capacity, develop
  opportunity and promote collaboration that often
  limits access and use of these services

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The Readiness to Work Challenge-How can we help
Vets who are homeless get jobs?

• Redefine job ready
• Provide flexible early opportunities to work
• Recognize skills and strengths gained through
  survival
• Develop customized employment plans
• View setbacks as learning opportunities
• Build and use peer support systems
• Use evidence based employment practices
• Reduce employer fears and stigma through
  awareness building efforts
• Develop partnerships and collaborations

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Example CTWorks-Bridgeport, CT

• Operated by Career Resources, Inc.,
• Partnerships with LWIB, Bridgeport Continuum of
  Care, the CT Division of Rehabilitation Services,
  the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction
  Services and the Veterans Employment Service.
• 50 corporate donors, the United Way, US
  Department of Education grant ,DOL Work Incentive
  Grant and Disability Program Navigator funding

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CT Works!- Why?

• Meets people who are homeless with services
  where they are at
• Developed a Career Coach mobile One Stop with
  the technology on board to connect people who are
  homeless to core services
• Important partner is HVRP to connect Vets to
  core, intensive, training services
• Visionary Leadership!
• Public/private funding mix

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Ending Chronic Homelessness Partnerships

• HUD, ODEP, ETA, VETS funded x 5 years
• 5 Cities LA, Boston, SF, Indianapolis, Portland,
  OR
• 297 people housing jobs
• Lead applicant is workforce development
• www.csh.org/Cheta

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Principle 1 Workforce Investment System is
Localized in your community-you should be at that
table

• States and localities have broad discretion to
  design and operate systems establish priorities
  and performance expectations
• The Workforce Board and the Continuum of Care
  should be linked if we are to address
  homelessness through jobs
• All the mandated partners should be present in
  the One-Stop as well as non-required partners
  serving those with special needs
• You should weigh-in on the workforce plan in your
  community-ensure your customers are considered
• Collaboration is the key

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Principle 2 Services to prepare and support
people in employment

• Respond to peoples needs and desires about work
  from the point of outreach
• Understand the job market
• Engage and utilize partners from the workforce
  system, employers and private sources to build
  collaborations, resources
• Recognize that job and career growth, like
  recovery is not always linear and that the One
  Stop may not be the first and only stop

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Questions for the futureProviding Services

• What are your challenges in providing effective,
  quality outcomes for Vets who are homeless?
• What strategies are you using to achieve those
  outcomes?
• What resources do you have and use to achieve
  those outcomes?
• What resources do you need to achieve those
  outcomes?

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Questions for the futureBuilding Systems

• Who are your local partners?
• How will you add stakeholders to increase
  employment of Vets who are homeless?
• What does each stakeholder bring to the table
  that helps meet those outcomes?
• What challenges do you anticipate in developing
  partnerships and collaborations?
• What training, technical assistance and support
  do you need to develop and sustain these
  partnerships/collaborations?

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More resources

• Work as a Priority Guidebook
• http//mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpub
  s/SMA03-3834/default.asp
• EarnWorks a free service that connects employers
  looking for quality employees with skilled job
  candidates
• http//www.earnworks.com/
• Abilities Fund resources for self-employment
• http//www.abilitiesfund.org/
• Job Accommodation Network assistance on ADA
  more
• http//www.jan.wvu.edu/
• Implementing Work as a Priority
• http//www.springerlink.com/content/c60q43162l0248
  44/?p0f9488b372964898ac5c855fb694f385pi0